Improvement in expansion wagon-wheels



. BELDEN & FORD.

Ptemed nec'. 29, 1868.

ZJ- Ven for.

/M//m f. WM @75% @wf@ est llill SALMON BELDEN, OF VISALIA, AND JOHNSON P. FORD, OF SAN-TA CLARA, CALIFORNIA.

cada we@ .Letters Pateii.t1V6.v85,269, (lated .December 29, 1.868; antellatcll December 24,1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN EXPANSION WAGON-WHEELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part: of-the same.

[o all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, SALMONy Benner, of Visalia, county of Tulare, and .IOHNsON P. Fono, ot' Santa.

Clara., county of Santa Clara, State of Galiibrnia, have invented an Improved Expansion Wagon-Wheel; and we do hereby declare the following description and accompanying drawings are sutiicient to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which itmost nearly appertains, to make and use our said invention or iinprovement without further invention or experiment.

The nature oi' our invention is to provide wagonwheel, so constructed that the felloes can be made to expand against the tire, and avoid the necessity of cutting and resetting the tires.

To do this, the outer ends oi' ordinary spokes of the wheel are shortened or turned Oi", and, when shortened, a bolt or piu is introduced into the end Of the spoke, passing up a considerable distance, and extending through the. t'elloe in the ordinary way. Nuts are permanently attached to the inner face of the felloes,

having openings, through which the exteiision-spok'esv pass. i

A hollow screw, with head, is placed upon the extension-rods, and, when turned up, the nuts and telloes are pressed out against thetire, and, when turned in au opposite direction, the felloes are released from their pressure, admitting of an easy adjustment ofthe wheel.

A double clamp, with wedges, is employed for closing up and tightening the joints remaining after the expansion of the wheel is had, leaving but one Opening in the riin of the wheel, which may be filled by a wedge or key.

'lo more fully illustra-te and describe our invention, reference is had to the accornpanyimr drawings, and letters marked thereon, 'of which- 'A A represent the spokes of our wheel, and are inserted intoy'the hub or nav.,x in the' usual way, the lower ends being turned away or shortened, and, when shortened, holes are bored lengthwise in the ends, a considerable distance, in which are inserted pins or rods of iron B B, oi' sutiicient length to pass through the felloes. Ordinarily, the ends ofthe spokes maybe turned oft. to form a shoulder.

A hollow screw, C, with a head, is slipped on the rods or extensions, and rests against the shoulder of the spoke so formed..

lThe nuts D D are bell-shaped, and have threads to correspond with the screw,in which they operate. These nuts are attached to the fellocs permanently, and, when the screw is turned down, thi` felloes are pressed out against the tire, and the wheel expanded, and, by turning the screw in the opposite direction, the felloes'are loosened.

By this construction, it is intendedthat the head of the bollo screw shall rest against thc shoulder iiulncd by cutting awa-y thel end of the spoke.

For forcing the joints of the rim closely together, we employ a double clamp, E E, held to the rim oi the wheel.

4 The cla-nip is so constructial that an incline-opening is Aformed between the varms of the clamp at each side ot' the wheel, in which are placed wedges F F, which are driven don-'into crowd the fellocs together edgewise, whichucloses up the joints, leaving but one opening between the arms ofthe clamps, in which a key ot' wood or iron is inserted, wl'iich may be nailed o'r clipped to the wheel.

By the use. of our device, a wheel may be tightened or loosened, without cutting and upsetting the tire, at anytime along the road, and without the aid of a smith or craftsman.

` Having thus described ouiinvention,

YVhat we claim, and desire to secure by- Letters The double clamp E E and wedges F F, for forcing the joints of the fclloes together, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals.

SALMON BELDEN. ['L. s.] s JOHNSON P.v FORD. [1.. s.]

Witnesses J. L. BOONE,

GEO. H. STRONG. 

